Penguin Fringed Abyss

Other > One ShotHi everyone, this is just a quick announcement that PFA will be going on a small hiatus due to our inability to record in person because of COVID-19. We look forward to when we can all meet up again soon!

Fiasco > One ShotIt is a hard day in Scotland, a day of working heard and drinking hard. In the spirit of that, our gaming group got together over Discord, had a couple of drinks, and embarked on a sordid tale of accidental murder, quasi-dimensional food, and adventurous sex toys. What follows is a story about what happens when you live too close to one another, and the Fiasco that ensues when you have no idea who your friends are.

3:16 Carnage Amongst the Stars > The 5800th Band of KlavasAfter a lot of seemingly aimless travel through space, the 3rd Expeditionary Fleet has encountered yet another strange anomaly left behind by the 2nd Expeditionary Fleet. Planet Pollok was supposedly nuked into oblivion a few years back. But life sign detectors on board the T.F.S. Glasgow are detecting life remaining on the worthless ball of radioactive dust. There is only one thing left to do: send the 5800th Band of Klavas at it, guns blazing!

Star Frontiers > Seal Team BlobNow that the immediate area is secure, the team assembles to investigate the mysterious house and its black smoke-signal. Unfortunately, locked doors apparently can only be opened one way in Seal Team Blob. Picking through the ruins of their own destruction lead to some clues, but sooner or later all those explosions are going to get noticed by someone.

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyThe U.S.S. Aster is in hot pursuit of 2 Klingon Birds-of-Prey. They are suspected of stealing a top-secret weapon right from under the noses of the Federation and the weapon's creator, Dr. Ja'bren. However, there are just too many unknowns in all of this. Why would the Klingons risk war over something like this? Why are they making a bee-line towards the Romulan Neutral zone? And most worrisome of all, what's with all this Delta Radiation?

World of Darkness > EchoesWith the issue of the Invictus quest safely done and the items returned to the covenant, the coterie needs to head up a new lead. They decide it is prudent to investigate the one covenant they have yet to look into, the Ordo Dracul. Working with Wurm's Nests is tricky business, especially for the uninitiated. Fortune is on their side, however, as a casual drive from Point A to Point B leads them by a major plot location.

Eclipse Phase > One ShotIt was a cool, dry day on the Lunar Colony of Old Nectar. When she arrived at my door, it was like a tall glass of water. She said her husband had gone missing, a nervous bit of work from before the Fall. She said she needed him back, dead or alive. Didn't matter to me. I was already buried up to my cortical stack in work. I needed to hire some help, and fast. Fortunately for me, this town has all sorts of people looking for just this type of work.

Fiasco > One ShotDue to the COVID-19 virus that is currently (at the time of this recording) plaguing our world, the PFA team decided to try recording a game entirely over the internet. What resulted is one of our most coherent and streamlined Fiasco games ever! Its 1913 and the Big Apple is a bustle with activity. But when a woman decides to stiff one of the biggest gangsters in town, it sets off a chain of events that result in sex, arson, blackmail, and, of course, the picked head of a murderer in a jar. Join us for PFA's first ever cyberspace Fiasco!

Star Frontiers > Seal Team BlobUpon arriving on Ares, Seal Team Blob is ready to begin their real mission. Someone DID tell them that their main objective is to SECURE and not DESTROY, right? Upon arriving on planet, they begin to encounter lifeforms that are not at all what they expected. Are they the products of Sathar Bio-engineering experiments? Or something much more sinister?

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyAfter some much needed shore leave, the U.S.S. Aster has been requested by the Takaran government to oversee a live fire test of their new Quantum Torpedo. As an avid starship designer, Captain Toyak is excited. As an avid connoisseur of explosions, Lt. Cortez is ALSO very excited. Things go precisely according to plan and in no way is this episode worth listening to….

World of Darkness > EchoesUpon recovering the item from Motor City Casino, the players begin to investigate what exactly they have bled for. Liberal use of The Spirits Touch reveals that things were not so cheery in the past of the Motor City Kindred. In addition, things might just get out of hand as one of their own succumbs to their baser instincts.

Star Frontiers > Seal Team BlobAfter the events of our first campaign, the Third Sathar War began in earnest. Fortunately for the UPF, There was already a significant fleet presence and, within days, the UPF were able to fortify the south-eastern galactic region and pen the Sathar fleets in. Theseus was lost, as was Minotaur and the facilities on Creon. However, the bleeding has been stemmed there and, for now, The UPF has the upper hand. Unfortunately, contact was lost 10 hours ago with the UPF's facilities on Lynchpin. In light of this crisis, a special team is called up. Welcome to the adventures of Seal Team Blob!

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyOn board the Grif Balata, the players are fighting to find their lost crewmate. Fortunately, she is not far and finding her is easy. However, the crew of the U.S.S. Aster quickly runs face to face with a few dilemmas about what is right and wrong when dealing with alien technology. Will they be able to save themselves and still keep their Starfleet ideals intact?

World of Darkness > EchoesIt's the night of the New Moon and the timing is perfect for the coterie to head to Motor City Casino and execute a rather cryptic request from Chicago's Invictus. As far as they know, they are just picking up a package. Unfortunately, they failed to consider if anyone ELSE is looking for it.

Nights Black Agents > The Dracula Dossier 2: Knowledge and MemoryAnd so, another Penguin Fringed Abyss campaign comes to an end. Running a campaign with only a single player offers unique challenges, as does running a continuation of a previous campaign. Here, Jason and Chris discuss what worked and what didn't as well as answering some hanging questions from the game.

Nights Black Agents > The Dracula Dossier 2: Knowledge and MemoryBattered, beaten, and full of holes, Robert Durin has been left for dead (again). But things are not at all what he expected when he wakes up. Travelling through the maze that has been his life for the past few months, he eventually arrives at an all-to-familiar destination. Some might say that this was a forgone conclusion from the start, but we know better. Will Mr. Durin survive where others have failed? Or will his mind be obliterated by the encounter with The Devil Himself.

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyThe crew of the U.S.S. Aster has stumbled upon a technological marvel. A world-ship seeming to contain an entire biosphere from a dead planet. The only problem being that their chief science officer is missing and they have to find her! (Also convenient as Ann couldn't make the game session!) Will this be a walk in the park? Or will the away team succumb to the alien biosphere deep within enemy territory?

World of Darkness > EchoesNow that the Vampires have something to work with, its time to start hacking into computers and extracting the sweet, juicy plot information from inside. Unfortunately, it seems that some of the other, more combat oriented characters don't want to wait around for the info. Will they begin to unravel the secrets of what happened to the Kindred of Detroit? Or will they just make more work for the party to clean up later?

Fiasco > One ShotLA, 1936. The City of Angles is filled to the brim with corruption. The streets run red as murder and sex turn the city inside out. Today, we see a small part of that hideous, gray-scaled time. It's a sordid tale about confusion, human frailty, and the glass window business. Lets see who REALLY runs LA as the mean streets of Film Noir transform our ability to create a coherent narrative into a Grade A Fiasco!

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyAs the heroic crew of the U.S.S. Aster embarks on their covert mission deep into Romulan space, we get to take a step back and learn a bit about who these brave men and women of Starfleet really are. They will need all the help they can get as they make preparations and boldly go into the unknown. Needless to say, what the find is not at all what they expected.

World of Darkness > EchoesIt turns out that Jason wasn't going to just kill the party mid-campaign. So that's good. Now that the players have learned a thing or two about their enemy, it's time to do what they do best, go completely off script. But it turns out that even going off of the beaten path will cause them to run into some interesting people.

Invisible Sun > The Melody of Things Lost and FoundThe player have learned much with their new attainments and with the resolution of the case issue, they have but one item left. Find Verston Card! While thinking up a new plan, they find that their efforts have drawn the attention of a few other individuals. Are they truly as helpful as they are making out to be? Lets find out as The Melody of Things Lost and Found reaches its exciting second verse!

Fiasco > One ShotIn the mean streets of London, there is a truly horrid underground full of all sorts of unscrupulous people. These people would probably laugh at us as we try to put together a story about an unsuccessful con, a stalker, and a dude with so many personalities even HE doesn't know who he is half the time. Sounds like a fiasco to me!

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyAfter all this time running around the sector chasing subplot after subplot, the players finally get a message from Ambassador Spock. In our exciting returned to the main storyline, we learn some things about our secondary characters, and uncover a secret that could change the fate of the entire quadrant.

World of Darkness > EchoesLicking their wounds after the fight at Holy Sepulcher, the Coterie takes some time off. While some go off to feed, others begin to investigate some odd steps taken by the Detroit Circle of the Crone. It all culminates in the interrogation of their captured neonate friend, and finally coming face to “face” with their enemy.

Nights Black Agents > The Dracula Dossier 2: Knowledge and MemoryBattered, beaten and left for dead, Robert Durin has had quite an evening. Fortunately, an old friend is coming by to help out! It appears that Mr. Durin has been out for longer than he realizes and the game has…changed somewhat. Will he be able to recover the dossier and set things right? Or will his actions begin to look startlingly familiar from the first campaign?

Invisible Sun > The Melody of Things Lost and FoundSince returning from the Pale, our intrepid heroes have learned much and it is time for them to attain their next degrees. This, like most things in the Actuality, involves a lot more than just walking across a stage. Once all of the blood is cleaned up, they meet and old “Friend” to discuss the next steps in their bold adventure.

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyNow that the players have captured a Romulan agent and learned more about the Tachyon emissions of that are plaguing Carina VII, it is time for the players to do something about it. Upon reaching the 10th planet in the system, they will stumble upon the secret that the federation has been hiding for more than 100 years. Hopefully they won't lose any important crew members in the process…

World of Darkness > EchoesArmed with the information retrieved at the National Shrine of the Little Flower, the Coterie, heads off to check on Holy Sepulcher Cemetery. The Cemetery has long been a seat of power for the Circle of the Crown and Mother Rowen of Chicago has asked that they check in to make sure nothing has been disturbed. With the theft at the Shrine clearly on everyone's minds, anything could happen as the Echoes campaign continues!

Nights Black Agents > The Dracula Dossier 2: Knowledge and MemoryGoing along with Osprey's deal, Mr. Durin is tasked with infiltrating the H.M.S. Proserpine to rescue none other than Lucy Westera. (Apparently she isn't as dead as the Dossier would lead you to believe.) A plan is concocted, equipment is acquired, transportation is arranged and the entire thing goes off without a single hitch…until someone rolls a 1.

Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition > One Shot7 individuals are offered a rather large sum of money to test out The Cage of Morpheus, a new geocaching puzzle game for iPhone and Android. The company has promised to have fixed the annoying music from the first version and simply need to make a few polishing adjustments before full release. Seems simple enough, right?

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyAfter the extensive Section 31 debriefs and other discussions that in no way ever happened, The U.S.S. Aster is sent to the Carina System to investigate some strange anomalies. Children born on the colony are aging rapidly, plants grown for winemaking are rapidly withering and structures meant to last decades are only lasting a year or two. A solution to this problem must be found soon or the entire system might become uninhabitable.

World of Darkness > EchoesAfter setting their sights on the Lancea Sanctum stronghold beneath the National Shrine of the Little Flower, the players decide to…actually follow through this time! Going into the depths of the high tech vampire haven will perhaps give the Coterie the first glimpse of what has happened to all the Kindred of Detroit. But while everyone is down in the vault, who is watching the front door?

Nights Black Agents > The Dracula Dossier 2: Knowledge and MemoryAfter infiltrating Ring and expecting the fight of his life, Mr. Durin comes face to face with the Lord of Ring: codenamed Osprey. Though he expects a fight and punishment for his bad moves, Osprey seems amenable to giving information and being extremely helpful in these matters. However, as Mr. Durin will soon discover; in the spy game, NOTHING comes without its price.

Delta Green > One ShotSudden Infant Death Syndrome is a tragedy when it occurs naturally. But one mother's premonitions about her son's death lead her to pick up the phone. She fumbles in her address book, passing doctors, lawyers, and respectable colleagues to find the last page, a page merged only with a small green triangle….“Hello? Agent Charlie?”

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyThe U.S.S. Aster has been though a lot within the Bassen Rift. They have discovered 2 new species, investigated strange phenomena, and succeeded in a battle of wits against a merciless weapon system. With all obstacles behind them, the team finally has a chance to dig deep into the heart of the Podell conflict and find an answer to a question that has been on the minds of Star Trek fans for 29 years.

Delta Green > One ShotDelta Green is sometimes sent to do someone else's dirty work. It is an unfortunate side-effect of being a legitimate government organization. When a trip is triggered at an abandoned, top secret facility, Delta Green gets the mission. However, it seems that Agent Charlie has other ideas….

Invisible Sun > The Melody of Things Lost and FoundOur heroes NEED to do something about this case. All indications point to this thing containing something horrible, but what exactly IS it? Tonight we see our players venture beyond the walls of Satyrine and out into the wonderful worlds of the other Suns. Unfortunately for them, their ability to not take things seriously might just cause them more trouble than they anticipated.

Other > One ShotOnce again, the PFA team met at Gencon 2019 in Indianapolis IN. In this wrap-up for the 2018-2019 season, we discuss our favorite RPG moment from the past year and things to look forward to for the 2019-2020 season. As always, if you have any suggestions or comments, please email us at jjanicki@penguinfringedabyss.com or use the Contact Us form at the top of this page.

World of Darkness > EchoesAfter setting their sights on the Lancea Sanctum stronghold beneath the National Shrine of the Little Flower, the players decide to…go the opposite direction? (GM twitch….) Perhaps investigating the area where court is traditionally held might yield more clues. Upon arriving at the Detroit Opera House, a picture starts to take shape. Unfortunately, all indications point to more than a simple communications breakdown for Baron Kerensky's domain.

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyWith the ship trapped in the Podell graveyard and the Echo Papa 607 threatening to tear the ship apart, the crew of the U.S.S. Aster is in a jam. Fortunately, the quick thinking crew has some ideas on how to get to safety that would put any Star Trek writer to shame…Assuming it works.

Delta Green > One ShotTrigger Warning: Explicit content involving violent sexual assaultSometimes crime makes no sense. Sometimes the passions of the criminally insane seem unexplainable. But are they? Delta Green is asked to put together a team to investigate a seemingly random set of murders where the only connection seems to be their lunch order. However, as we will all soon learn, something MUCH more deplorable may be behind it.

Nights Black Agents > The Dracula Dossier 2: Knowledge and MemoryWith his anti-vampire training with the Vatican in full swing, Robert Durin is becoming more and more troubled by the events happening in the outside world. As the newly dubbed “St. Colette's Virus” sweeps through England, it is looking more and more likely that Edom may be behind it. The only way to find out seems to be to infiltrate an Edom stronghold and find the connection. But what Mr. Durin actually finds at Ring might be more than he bargained for.

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyAfter their encounter with the Romulans within The Neutral Zone, The U.S.S. Aster is finally heading back into the Bassen Rift in search of the Podell Homeworld. Upon arriving at the designated coordinates, they find the entire system surrounded in a much-more-intense version of the Rift's usual shroud. What will they find as they boldly (and blindly) go into the system? Let's find out as the next adventure of the U.S.S. Aster gets underway!

Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition > One ShotThe windswept moors of England have been the inspiration for many a spooky mystery story. Tonight, a brother and sister hire a private eye to investigate the disappearance of a relative last known to be hiking near Old Ravenscar. Aside from a mark on a map, their doesn't seem to be much there. No residences and no stores. Only an ancient church and collapsed manor house greet them. Seems like a long and boring search…until the rain begins to fall.

World of Darkness > EchoesThe Domain of Detroit MI has gone dark for long enough. When Prince Maxwell Clark's second ghoul retainer disappears, he decides to send in an investigative team from the kindred population of Chicago to perform recon-in-force. However, it seems like ever vampire covenant has business in Detroit and the Coterie's hands will be full. Welcome to Echoes, www.penguinfringedabyss.com's first World of Darkness campaign featuring several new players.

Delta Green > One ShotWhen a medical worker is fired for posting a video of something Unnatural online, Delta Green immediately jumps into action. The Tormiss Z-17 is quickly gaining popularity for its seeming perfect record. Not one single patient implanted with it has had a cardiac event and, aside from a small recovery period, has no complications. Medical science is calling it a miracle, but Delta Green knows all too well the high cost of “miracles”.

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyFresh off of their latest patrol of the Neutral Zone, the U.S.S. Aster is on course to return to exploring the Bassen Rift. While en-route, they receive a signal from Starfleet that their sister ship, the U.S.S. Nightingale, has entered the Neutral Zone due to a navigational error. It appears that the Romulans have attacked the small ship and plan to tow it back to Romulus as a trophy. But something doesn't seem quite right. How did the Nightengale ALSO disable the much larger D'deridex warbird? And why is the Romulan commander so anxious to play for time?

Call of Cthulhu 7th Edition > One ShotWelcome to the Lakeside Coffee House: the premier destination for all things hipster within the Pine County Artist Enclave. Tonight is the night of their monthly poetry slam, where the locals drink coffee, eat pastries, and listen to mediocre rhymes spun by their peers. Unfortunately, one of their number has succumbed to a strange infection and soon it will become a race against time to get out of this Mythos inspired escape room.

Invisible Sun > The Melody of Things Lost and FoundFollowing right in from our previous episode, we watch as Master Alexi tries to summon an information imp to help him try to figure out what to do. What he ACTUALLY summons, using Verston Card's amplifier, is something MUCH more powerful. Is the fact that our Vislae aren't dead in the first 5 minutes a tribute to Alexi's prowess? Or is something much more sinister going on? As the full revelations begin to take shape, one question remains…what are they going to do about it?

Star Trek: Adventures > Cowboy DiplomacyThe crew of the U.S.S. Aster has discovered a mysterious ship of unknown manufacture within the Bassen Rift. This derelict seems to hold many questions and few answers. What happened to the crew? Why are their 200 year old Klingons aboard? What is this weird tree thing on the bridge? Time to apply science to it until we discover the truth…or blow up the Aster in the process.